Michael Gove and Empowering Teachers

Michael Gove, who has a had a somewhat rough ride in the early months of the Coalition, is to announce the re-establishment of commonsense practice, empowering teachers to enforce discipline in schools. Teachers will be allowed physical contact when appropriate for order or for comfort. This is welcome news.

It is right that people should be protected from exploitation and abuse. But when such regulations have the effect of dis-empowering those who are vital in the chain of maintaining civilised order, so that anything goes, things have gone too far the other way. The failure of the remote and spinning hierarchy of  New Labour to see this, is one of many reasons why Labour is now in opposition and New Labour is dead and buried.

Likewise Health and Safety. Lord Young’s report is welcome. Its recommendations need to be put into effect quickly. As the Tory Conference gathers in Birmingham, these snippets of news are helpful. While in no way wishing to downgrade the critical importance of eliminating the deficit, there is a lot else that needs attention in our country, to which this government must apply itself with vigour. Sorting out school discipline and organising realistic rather than over zealous Health and Safety are good places to start. The word cuts is becoming a bit over used.